Review comments

As a teacher and parent, Redwood is the rare gem. The focus is on the whole person and character development while presenting challenging academic material. The diverse community prepares children well for the real world.

Redwood school has surpassed all my expectations in a public elementary school. My daughter graduated there and my son still attends the school. Every year, every teacher we've had have been amazing and they really are so caring and supportive. Every teacher we have known have attended to my kid's and every child's needs. The school provides challenging environment and both my kids excel every year. My daughter is now in middle school and is acing all her honors classes, and she couldn't have been successful without the teachings and the great education she received at Redwood! It's truly a school with heart! Lots of parent involvement in the PTA too! It's a really friendly and family atmosphere and we are proud to be a part of it!

We have nothing but wonderful things to say about Redwood Elementary. We moved our kids midyear from a local Blue Ribbon School. We were surprised to find that both of our kids were behind in math, but were able to catch up with help from their caring teachers. The educational resources (reading/language, math, counselors) that Redwood (and the West Orange public schools) have to offer are amazing. We were also happy that Redwood encourages science and lots of hands on projects. In addition, Redwood is lucky to have such a dedicated principal. Our children have excelled in the short time that we have been at Redwood.

Redwood Elementry is the school with HEART. Every day they show it. The teachers are very helpful and accomodating. I have one daughter who is entering college this fall and one more left in Redwood for her final year. We are looking forward to another great year and progress as always.

I agree with several of the parents. The administration and many of the staff members are unresponsive to the cultural needs of the diverse student population. They claim that they embrace diversity, but all they do is "tolerate" it, as their motto states. What they do is very condescending, and amounts to nothing more than history month celebrations and potlucks. Little, if anything, is done in the curriculum or in the hiring practices to really show that they respect and value the diversity in the student population. They have a sheer ignorance in understanding that academic needs are connected to cultural needs, and this is why their scores are a disgrace for a suburban school with so much potential. Change the admin, and we may see improvement.

Redwood School shows H.E.A.R.T and is a great elementary school. The academic standards are strong and the teaching staff is outstanding. It is a place that thrives on the diversity and has been a wonderful start to all four of our children's academic success.

We have nothing but great things to say about Redwood. We have two children who attend Redwood. They love school. The teachers and staff are dedicated and outstanding in their field. We continue to be impressed with the parental involvement as well. The class sizes are very small and the students are motivated. The principal has done a terrific job to foster an environment that is both caring and academically challenging.

My daughter is a current student at Redwood. At first, I was reluctant to try the school based on my first impression (we were coming from a private-school environment), however, after meeting Principal Kivlon (outstanding) and the teaching staff (outstanding) and talking to many other current and former Redwood parents and hearing their glowing reviews, and most importantly, after seeing the quality education that my child is receiving, I have become a huge fan of the school. If you do a comparison of student test scores in reading and math, class size, level of education and experience of teachers, you will find that Redwood is on par with the most highly ranked public elementary schools in NJ. If you want your child to receive a quality education in a caring, nurturing environment with experienced teachers, you won't go wrong with Redwood.

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